If there
is such a thing as an all-round shotgun, the Beretta 303 qualifies. The last of
the 300 series autoloaders to have wide distribution, the follow-up 304 is
almost never heard of. The 304's release coincided with the 390 series, and few
if any made it to the United States.

The
tested example is a three-inch chambered 26 inch Mobil-choked model, the
Beretta date code (AS) indicating it was manufactured in 1987, proofed with an
18.3mm bore corresponding to just over .720 inches. The gun weighs 7.25 lbs.
and has a very good field trigger, breaking right at 4.25 lbs. The ventilated
rib on this model is a bit wider than the spindly “6 x 6 “ ribs on some more
recent Beretta's, at 7mm.

Despite
its more traditional gas action with no secondary gas bleed, this 303 had no
trouble cycling 1 oz. loads on up, having a moderate bolt speed and a moderate,
ideal ejection distance of 5-6 feet with these loads. The same was the case
with B&P F2 Legend 1-1/8 oz. shells. The 303 has a magazine cut-off,
integral with the forearm as opposed to earlier models that had a lever on the
right side of the receiver making for a cleaner appearance in this treatment.
The 303 is shim adjustable for drop (45 - 65mm), but not for cast and drop as
some of the more recent shotgun releases.

This 303
shot essentially to point of aim, with the patterns well-centered if a couple
of inches high, both typical and often desirable for hunting guns. Recoil,
despite the lack of a recoil pad (the 303 is finished off with a plastic butt
plate) can only be considered mild.

There is
some magic in the 303, both for what it is and for what it is not. You might
have noticed more and more plastic parts on shotguns and complicated forearm
nuts and so forth. Not so with the 303, as the gas system is all steel or
stainless steel-- no technopolymers used. The 303 exhibits a slightly forward
weight bias, as is common with this genre of alloy-receiver autoloader. The
receiver is clean and uncluttered without gratuitous cheap engraving attempts,
the trigger guard is still alloy, not plastic, and is slightly enlarged from
the previous 302 model for gloved use. The 303 still has a pistol grip cap; it
is little detail features like this that are often left off more recent models.
Its walnut stock is the real deal, without any fake grain enhancement dips or
films. All of this makes for a good, honest, simple autoloader in both form and
function.

Armed
with a couple of pipefitter's brushes, scrubbing out the gas cylinder and
piston takes only a minute or two. Cleaning the gas piston itself in Slip 2000
finishes the task. A drop of two of Montana X-Treme gun oil and you're set.
Like a few other things, once it becomes habit it takes longer to describe it
than to actually do it.

In my
experience, Beretta 303 12 gauges do shoot just a tad high, making them a good
choice for skeet, flushing game, just about everything out of the box. I like
flat shooting guns for trap, but if you want a more of your pattern above POI
at a particular distance, a little experimentation with shims so you see a bit
of rib will likely get you there. As 300 series barrels are plentiful and
reasonable, you can use the tested configuration for skeet and upland, for
example, but pop on a 28 or 30 inch barrel for sporting clays or trap if that
is your preference. The T & S AL-2 hull catcher works well with the 303 for
trap, so you won't be slinging hulls if you opt for peppier, gassier loads.

Whether
you are using a Beretta barrel as supplied, or pick up a B-80 Invector
screw-choked barrel, both are chrome-lined for a little extra corrosion
resistance and a little easier clean-up. The barrels are approved for steel and
other harder no-tox materials, there are all kinds of aftermarket chokes readily
available, so use for waterfowling or in other no-tox areas merit no great
concern. Rifle-sighted factory 22 inch smoothbore slug barrels are also
available, so for short-range deer hunting or for part of a fast-handling
moderate recoil home defense plan, the 303 might fit in there for you as well
with a thirty-second barrel change. There isn't much to consider as far as long
term maintenance; perhaps a mainspring change every eight thousand rounds or so
would be the only thing that you might consider if bolt speed and resultant
ejection distance tells you your 303 is being worked a bit harder after
extended use. A deep-well 19mm socket makes buttstock removal an easy event.

With some
of the more recent models hovering at the 7 lb. carry weight or just below, the
303 at a quarter pound heavier or so isn't the lightest on the market. It is
certainly a lot more fun to walk with than a portly 1100 or a steel-frame
Citori, but there are lighter guns. We all have our own views on what a quarter
pound means at the end of the day. The Beretta 303 is out there in 20 gauge as
well, though, with one example I have here shaving off a full pound off from
its bigger brother to 6-1/4 pounds on the nose. So, there are always more
options.

There never will be a perfect all-round
shotgun, as everyone's individual ideas of “all-around” can be wildly
divergent. The 303 has better build quality than most autoloaders, more steel
and alloy and far less plastic. The 303 out of the box triggers are far better
than most, as a generality, and they can be cleaned up rather easily if you
want more of a race-game trigger. They are simple in design and function, don't
break, and are as versatile as you care to make them. For all the reasons cited
here, the Beretta 303, though no longer in production, snags my vote as the
“all-around” 12 gauge autoloader.